"I'm not a party line guy," Rob Sand said as he launched a gubernatorial campaign. "I'm a right or wrong guy."

Democrat Rob Sand has announced a bid for the open Iowa governor’s race. He is looking to break up a long streak of Republican leadership in the state after a surprise announcement from Republican Gov.

Rob Sand — the leading Democrat in the race to be Iowa's next governor — has an "uphill climb" if he wants the state's top seat, according to political analysts. Why it matters: The New York Times lauded Sand in 2019 as Iowa Democrats' "model for how to win" — and now the electorate will see if that's true.